I have been elected as a Member-at-Large to the Board of Directors for the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES).
So fun to see my book on David Shor's bookshelf →
A student of mine spotted my book in a photo for a recent New York Times article!
It feels so weird to be back...
I’m on campus again and teaching in person without masks. Although I know that there are students still getting sick with the virus, it seems as if everyone has forgotten about the pandemic. My classes have started and I am now chair of my department, which comes with more responsibility than I counted on. But at least Philadelphia is really beautiful this time of the year.
Sheesh, this is exactly how I feel right now
As of July 1, I became the new chair of Russian and East European Studies at Penn, but the workload and responsibility of this position has only really kicked into gear in the last week. That facial expression says it all!
A lovely review by Oana Uiorean in Liber →
“The political moment is again open to systemic change, after decades of fragmentation of the struggle. Who are today’s Red Valkyries? Some of them are in the US, fighting for racial justice in the streets or doing squad work in Congress on behalf of exploited populations. Others are in Latin America, mobilizing people for feminist strikes, for safe and legal abortion, and against the violence of international finance institutions. In Europe, they lead struggles for housing justice. In occupied Palestine, they stand up to apartheid. We may not know their names, but we don’t need to. One doesn’t have to be a communist to understand that no individual brings about fundamental changes alone. Successful revolutions are the sum of collectives coming together and doing the work”
Chanticleer Garden in Late August
I love the lotuses and the lush greenery of the end of summer.
The video from my event at City Lights with Professor Page Herrlinger →
City Lights Live!
And I made the list of what to read in La Repubblica →
Kayaking on the Merriconeag Sound in Harpswell, Maine
A perfect Sunday morning diversion. Glorious weather.
Media coverage in the Italian press.
I’m happy that the Italian translation is being reviewed and drumming up some interest in the lives of these five fascinating women. ( Click on the screenshots below to read them)
Always excited to be in the New York Times! →
It’s not a review, but it is nice to be included in the list of books recently published!
The Italian Version of Red Valkyries! →
On sale tomorrow : Valchirie rosse: Le rivoluzionarie dell'Est Europa
Prefazione di Noemi Ghetti
Traduzione di Mauro Pace
Full review of Red Valkyries in the Chicago Review of Books →
A new interview in In These Times about Red Valkyries →
“Frustrated With #GirlBoss Feminism? Look to Eastern European History,” In These Times, July 13, 2022
The Source of the Danube River and Sigmaringen Castle
Last Friday and Saturday I visited the source of the Danube River in the town of Donaueschingen (the Donau is the German name of the Danube) as well as the beautiful Sigmaringen Castle which towers over it a bit further downstream.
Liza Featherstone reviews Red Valkyries in Jacobin →
12 Must-Read Books of July in the Chicago Review of Books →
12 Must-Read Books of July in the Chicago Review of Books includes Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women
Spotted in Rombach Buchhandlung in Freiburg
A surprise in my local bookstore!
The Karl Marx and Capitalism exhibition at the German History Museum in Berlin
On July 4th, I visited the “Karl Marx and Capitalism” exhibition at the German History Museum in Berlin, twice in one day. I did the exhibition first in the morning, and then went back in the afternoon for the guided English tour. It was a really good exhibition, and remarkably well put together and thought out. It was very text heavy, so there weren’t a lot of images, but I enjoyed the presentation of Marx’s ideas within the context of their time.
The German History Museum also conducted an interesting survey of Germans and their opinions of Marx in 2021. Not surpassing, the East Germans have a much more positive vision of Marx than those in the West. I am posting some highlights of the exhibit here, but if you happen to be in Berlin this summer, it is well worth a visit.
Freiburg Weinfest!
Oh my god, what a party!
